ONE of the great things about living in such a connected, global world, is that no matter what your hobby or ‘special interest’, there’s always going to be someone who shares your passion.

This awesome photo series and coffee table book, HobbyBuddies, from Swiss photographers Ursula Sprecher and Andi Cortellini celebrates some of the world’s most quirky, fun and eccentric special interest groups.

The staged photographs were planned down to the most minute details: “We planned each photo carefully — the amount of people in the picture, the clothing, the accessories,” Ms Sprecher told news.com.au.

Nothing is spontaneous or left to chance. This approach results in unusual, intriguing and often perplexing images and compositions.

Ms Sprecher says the photos feature people of all ages and backgrounds, some of whom have been meeting regularly for years.